Nanotechnology In India Research Articles

Environmental nanotechnological applications for Sustainable agriculture

Agriculture and society are intertwined. Agriculture is necessary for human survival and social sustainability in India. Eco-friendly agriculture practices nurture ecosystems to solve current societal issues. Indian ecosystems are marred by pollution, imbalance, climate changes, food crisis, various diseases, and mal-nourishment continue as a major concern. The traditional environmental remedial strategies appear relatively ineffective in the ever expanding use of pollutants that pervade the water, air and soil environment. Nanotechnology provides an efficient, environmentally friendly and cost-effective solutions to the global sustainability challenges that society is facing. Nanotechnology utilizes nanomaterials that have remarkable physical and chemical features to make smart functional materials for developing sustainable technologies. Nanotechnology seems to be very promising in sustainable environment development, sustainable agriculture, renewable and economically energy alternative through use of nanomaterials for detection, prevention, and removing pollutants. The development of nanotechnology in India has huge potential to address the challenges like providing drinking water, healthcare, nano-based industry and sustainable agriculture. This review highlights the recent nanotechnology applications to meet the global challenges in providing clean energy technology, water purification, and greenhouse gases management. In addition, effort has been made to analyse the opportunities and limitations in engineered nanomaterials safety, solid waste management, reducing pollution of air water and soil.

Bringing Laxmi and Saraswati together: Nano-scientists and academic entrepreneurship in India

Innovation fuelled by Science & Technology is seen as the panacea for growth, inclusive development and international competitiveness. Aligned with this view, there is a growing interest in the role of academic entrepreneurship in contributing to these goals. A huge emphasis is also given to ready-made, transportable success models of innovation to be replicated into a variety of local contexts. Most of the scholarly literature in this domain focusses on the global north whereas studies on in the global south remain scarce. In this paper, we focus on scientists working in the field of nanotechnology in India. Drawing on semi-structured interviews and document analysis, the paper contributes to shed light on the perceptions of scientists and policy makers about the changing role of Indian universities in the context of global aspirations associated to academic entrepreneurship, and the socio-cultural aspects underpinning such perceptions.

English

English

Gaps in engineering education with a categorical analysis on nanotechnology in India

A quality real-time intuition guided by design thinking has always been the base of innovation resulting in a quality production. However, the major findings driven by interviews with a bunch of dignified technocrats and stakeholders of such product-based companies reflect that design and practical standpoint of Indian engineering colleges is quite weak. There are certain gaps within the structure of engineering in India. The paper brings out to the readers the core paradigms of such structure in India. The author is typically concerned with the basic factors which have a dominance over the system of real-time practice and design. Here the authors have discussed about the gaps and initiatives by considering the existing manpower, infrastructure, employment opportunity and societal need and have put forth few suggestions to build a healthy research and education eco-system in nanoscience and nanotechnology in India along with certain ways of bridging gaps and work out the major roadblocks which we come across in the field. Suggestive measures and innovative initiatives by government and stake holders have been proposed and discussed for quality of integrated engineering program for the various ambitious plans for making India superpower and a self-reliant smart nation.

Nanoscience and Nanotechnology in India: A broad perspective

Nanoscience and nanotechnology created a multidisciplinary platform for the researchers in India to address various critical issues in the area of energy, healthcare, cosmetics, manufacturing, defence and materials engineering. In recent years, various initiatives have been taken by Government of India to attract young talents to start their research in the interdisciplinary domain of nanotechnology and other allied disciplines. Indian researchers are supported under various schemes through multiple departments of Government of India to create basic and advanced infrastructure facilities, manpower development, fellowships and awareness activities. The initiatives have created a common platform to attract researchers (faculty and students) from physical, chemical, biological, mathematical, computational and engineering sciences to exchange their ideas and develop collaborations across the globe to overcome demographic as well as infrastructural limitations. In last two decades, many Indian researchers have come up with various important outcomes to create a shining place in global research map. In this paper, initiatives and outcomes in the area of nanoscience and nanotechnology will be projected which will be a ready reference for the young researchers, early career scientists, PhD students and aspirant for research (UG and PG students). The outcomes of support from Government in the area of nanotechnology will be discussed and the role of participating organizations in various initiatives will be presented.

Nation-Building and the Governance of Emerging Technologies: the Case of Nanotechnology in India

Emerging technologies like nanotechnologies are governed in different ways around the world. This article draws attention to an important element that can help to explain the emergence of this diversity in governance practices: the role of nanotechnology in nation-building. By investigating the relation between nanotechnology and the nation in India, the article demonstrates that various particularities of the Indian governance of nanotechnology can be explained by the relation between science, technology, and nation-building. The article discusses four instances in which the governance of nanotechnology in India is informed by the role science and technology has in nation-building: the historical image of India as a country that can attain modernity and development by engaging with modern science and technology supported the government’s decision to free funds for nanotechnology research; the view of India as a country that cannot rely on foreign assistance to get access to the latest technologies reinforced the strategy to pro-actively pursue nanotechnology research and development itself; the historical use of science and technology as crucial elements in overcoming deeply rooted societal divisions enabled the science-centered way in which nanotechnology was governed; and the Indian ambition to become a global superpower informed the governance of nanotechnology as an object of international competition. The governance of nanotechnology in turn defines ‘Indianness’ in a post-liberalization world.

Development of Nanotechnology in India: A Review

Development of Nanotechnology in India: A Review

At a long-awaited turning point.

Research in nanotechnology in India is on an upswing given the substantial investments in the past two decades. Making an impact globally will now require investing in education, entrepreneurship, translational science, infrastructure for manufacturing, and changing the administrative mindset.

Emerging technologies in India: Developments, debates and silences about nanotechnology

In the last decade nanotechnology entered the policy arena as a technology that is simultaneously promising and threatening, and with a similar Janus-like face, nanotechnology entered the development agenda. How does a developing country like India deal with nanotechnology? Combining a quantitative and qualitative approach, this paper outlines the developments, discussions, and silences concerning nanotechnology in India. The nanotechnology landscape in India is dominated by government initiatives. Government investments led to a steady rise in global publication rankings, scientific collaborations and the number of institutions involved. This growth is mainly rooted in fundamental research and public research institutes. Industry involvement and patenting activity are at a nascent stage and developing slowly. Issues that were raised in the Indian context relate to funding, capacity, commercialization, regulation of risks, and the distribution of benefits. Nanotechnology is positively viewed across the board, with notable silences on ethical issues and the relation to the public.

Nanotechnology: An Emerging Area of Scientific Issues and Legal Challenges

Nanotechnology is based on the convergence of several disciplines of science and technology. India though entering late in this field has been able to make a mark, however, there is a long way to go both in the scientific and legal arena. This paper initially focuses on the scientific development of nanotechnology in India and thereafter on various acts and regulations that deal with nanotechnology in India.

Understanding trends and changes in media coverage of nanotechnology in India

The paper makes a first systematic study of the media coverage about nanotechnology in India. It investigates the key research question: How is nanotechnology presented in the news media? The number and content of nanotechnology‑related articles in the news media indicates the general trend of limited science communication‑related activities and a techno‑centric focus.

Bibliometric Study of Nanotechnology in India: an Analysis

This paper deals with the bibliometric study of publication on Nanotechnology in India in the Web of Science database. The analysis period is from the year 2001 to September 2011. This paper finds out the individual author’s contribution, geographical distribution, year-wise research in nanotechnology in India. Citation of articles, ranking of Journals, h-index, g-index and gh-index. Histcite and Bibexcel tools are used for data analysis. Consequences of such studies are useful for research administrators, policy architects and endowment agencies.

Preface

The International Conference on Nanomaterials and Nanotechnology (NANO-2010) was organized by the Center for Nanoscience and Technology (CNST), K.S. Rangasamy College of Technology, in association with the Department of Nanobio Materials and Electronics (DNE), World Class University (WCU), Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST), South Korea, and the Technische Unversität Kaiserslautern, Germany, from 13 to 16 December 2010. The interdisciplinary conference was held at the KSRCT, Tiruchengode, Tamil Nadu, India, and included a series of scientific lectures, an exhibition, and a panel discussion with funding agencies such as the DST, Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO), DAE, and the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR).In addition, a special session for DRDO was arranged, including a benefit for the delegates to explore potential areas of collaboration with the DRDO laboratories. This special session on the “Application of Nanotechnology for National Security” was held 14 December 2010. Also, 13 companies exhibited their products in the exhibition hall. Distinguished persons from various funding agencies participated in the panel discussion to identify the road map for nanotechnology in India. The conference was enlightened by three plenary lectures, which included one given by Prof. Dr. Richard Ernst, Nobel laureate. In addition, 39 invited lectures and more than 560 contributed papers from over 24 countries were presented.We would like to thank IUPAC for coming forward to publish the invited papers in Pure and Applied Chemistry. Out of 39 invited lectures, 12 papers were accepted after peer review for publication. We also thank IUPAC for sponsoring this event.Our special thanks are due to the reviewers for their help with critical reviews and detailed comments on the manuscripts and also to the speakers for considering the reviewers’ comments.V. Rajendran, Burkard Hillbrands, and Kurt E. GeckelerConference Editors

Attenuating Risks Through Regulation: Issues for Nanotechnology in India

The problems in developing risk-based regulation are particularly compounded for a developing country like India, owing to a lack of resources, expertise and regulatory mandate. Nevertheless, it is of utmost importance considering that in the event of some of the risks materializing, developing countries would be ill-equipped to handle and mitigate them. This paper attempts to examine the existing regulatory framework, taking the particular case of the chemicals legislation, and examine whether it could be extended to the regulation of nanomaterials and their risks. Our study indicates that the Manufacture, Storage and Import of Hazardous Chemical Rules, 1989 could be applied to nanomaterials but would require substantial amendments. The legislation is very laudable in that it provides for very detailed and minute information reporting and disclosures. This is believed to be very crucial for 'information regulation' of nanotechnology as an intermediate step between unfettered self-regulation and traditional 'command and control' regulation and which could help address the present information deficit and help gain regulatory experience.

English

English

Research Trends in Nanoscience and Nanotechnology in India

This paper attempts to highlight quantitatively the growth and development of Indian research in the field of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology in terms of publication output as per Science Citation Index (1982-2008). The whole database contains 296072 records on the subject and among them USA topped the list with 84561 (28.56 per cent) followed by, China with 43393 (14.66 per cent) publications, Japan with 32431 (10.95 per cent) publications, Germany with 28065 (9.48 per cent) publications, France with 18141 (6.13 per cent) publications, and England with 13850 (4.68 per cent) publications. During 1982-2008, a total of 8326 (2.81 per cent) papers were published by the Indian scientists in the field. The yearly average number of documents published was 308.37. The highest numbers of publications (1890) were published in 2008. The premier Indian institutes engaged in Nanoscience and Nanotechnology research were: Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangaluru with 723 publications followed by IIT Kharagpur with 606 publications; National Chemical Laboratories (NCL), Pune with 589 publications; Indian Association for the Cultivation of science (IACS), Kolkata with 563 publications; and BARC, Mumbai with 434 publications. Major portion of the publications (96.36 per cent) were written in collaboration with more than one authors. India had collaboration with 67 other countries in the field. C.N.R. Rao, M. Sastry and S. Chaudhuri were the three leading researchers in the field. Researchers from Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore and Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, Bangalore had most number of collaborative publications. When collaboration among institutes situated in different Indian cities was taken into consideration, Bangaluru and Kolkata were found to have the highest number of collaborative publications. Karnataka and West Bengal, the parent states of these cities were the states with the most collaborative publications in Nanoscience and Nanotechnology research. USA, Germany, and Japan had more number of collaborative publications with India. The most preferred journals for publishing the articles by the scientists were: Journal of Applied Physics (293), Journal of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (285), Applied Physics Letters (243), Materials Letters (232), Physical Review B (232), Nanotechnology (194), and Langmuir (182). The highly occurred keywords in SCI records were: Nanoparticles (1244); Particles (756); Films (589); Growth (513); Nanocrystals (501); Thin-Films (484); Nanostructures (427); Optical-Properties (410); Nanocomposites (401); etc. DOI: 10.14429/djlit.30.6

Inevitability of Technology Interventions: Development Agenda and the State Agency

Technology has occupied an important and largely unquestioned status in the development agenda of the Indian state over the last few decades. Technology solutions covering a wide field, viz. rural energy solutions through to nuclear technology have been systematically supported through state financing. It is also a widely held belief that technologies like the ICT have also played an important and much annotated part in the emergence of India as one of foremost emerging economy. This has further led to the strengthening of state policy in supporting and adopting technology interventions more broadly within the development agenda of the country but in also aggressively pushing for investment in specific technologies like, biotechnology and nanotechnology. Such a scenario provides specific conditions that govern the development of nanotechnology in India.